20 Weeks Pregnant

At 20 weeks pregnant, you've made it to the midpoint of your pregnancy journey, and there's a lot to celebrate. At this stage, your baby is around the size of a bell pepper and is developing rapidly—you may even feel them moving around inside your belly. In this article, we'll explore what happens around 20 weeks pregnant, from your baby's development to your possible symptoms, and what steps you can take to prepare for the next stage of your pregnancy.

Highlights at 20 Weeks Pregnant

Here's a quick look at some of the highlights from 20 weeks pregnant:

• Your little one is now around the size of a bell pepper.

• You may be feeling your little one moving around inside you more and more this week.

• Your baby's sucking reflex is developing—they may even suck their thumb!

• Tiny nails are growing on your little one’s fingers and toes.

• If you have a checkup at 20 weeks pregnant, this may include an ultrasound scan to check your baby’s growth. You'll likely be able to find out the gender of your baby!

• At this halfway point in your pregnancy, the baby name decision may be top of mind. To help you find the perfect name, try our Baby Name Generator below.

20 Weeks Pregnant: Your Baby's Development

There are lots of fetal developments at 20 weeks pregnant to learn about and celebrate—below are just a few of them:

• Your baby is looking more babylike than ever, as facial features including the nose take shape.

• Their sucking reflex is coming along, and they may suck their thumb this week or sometime soon.

• Your baby continues to grow little nails on those recently formed fingertips and toes.

• Rapid brain growth continues, particularly in the nerve centres dedicated to the senses.

• Your little one is in the process of developing a definite sleep-wake cycle and is also becoming responsive to sounds in the environment. From time to time, loud noises may even wake them.

• Around this time your baby’s skin is thickening and layers of skin are forming as well. The skin is protected from the amniotic fluid by a waxy coating called vernix.

• When you’re around 20 weeks pregnant, your baby’s digestive system starts to produce a greenish-black, sticky substance called meconium, which will accumulate in their bowels over the rest of the pregnancy. Typically, your baby will pass this substance after they're born, and you’ll see it in your baby’s first few diapers.

Are you 20 weeks pregnant with twins and wondering what your little ones might be up to? Find out more about twin pregnancies.

How Many Months Are in 20 Weeks?

Although it’s more common to refer to your pregnancy in weeks, you may be wondering “How many months is 20 weeks pregnant?” The 40 weeks of pregnancy can be grouped into months in various ways; however, at 20 weeks, you’re most likely in your fifth month of pregnancy.

What trimester is 20 weeks? At 20 weeks pregnant, you’re in your second trimester, and perhaps some troublesome symptoms such as nausea and extreme fatigue have passed.

How Big Is a Baby at 20 Weeks Pregnant?

At 20 weeks pregnant, your baby is about the size of a bell pepper. Your little one weighs around 300 grams and measures more than 15 centimetres in length, crown to rump—you could cup your little one in the palms of your hands.

Your Baby: What Does 20 Weeks Pregnant Look Like?

Check out the visual below if you’ve been asking yourself “What does a baby look like at 20 weeks pregnant?”

Your Body at 20 Weeks Pregnant

Now or very soon, you’ll experience quickening, which is when you feel your baby move for the first time.

Both the timing and the actual sensation vary from woman to woman—this is another way in which each pregnancy is unique—but you may sense tiny flutters or rumblings in your tummy! In the next few weeks, you might also detect some rhythmic jerking—baby hiccups!

20 Weeks Pregnant: Your Symptoms

At 20 weeks pregnant, here are some of the symptoms you may be experiencing:

• Constipation. Hormonal activity and your growing baby pushing against your intestines can lead to constipation. Although this condition can be uncomfortable, drinking more water and eating more fibre can help get things moving.

• Congestion and nosebleeds. Increased levels of hormones and extra blood volume during pregnancy can make the mucous membranes in your nose swell and dry out. This can lead to both congestion and nosebleeds. Some ways to reduce congestion and bleeding at 20 weeks pregnant include using a humidifier to moisten the air and drinking lots of water to stay hydrated.

• Lower back pain. At 20 weeks pregnant, as your belly continues to grow and you

  gain pregnancy weight, you might experience some lower back and mild stomach pain, particularly toward the end of the day. There are a few things you can do to prevent or ease this lower back pain at 20 weeks pregnant, including wearing low-heeled shoes (not high heels but not completely flat shoes either), doing gentle exercise that helps stretch and strengthen your back muscles, and wearing a belly support band.

• Forgetfulness. You may be having a hard time concentrating as well as you used to, and you may find that you’re forgetting small things. It might help to create checklists or reminders on your phone (or on paper or sticky notes) and to give yourself some extra breaks while doing tasks that require your concentration.

• Swollen feet. This condition can be caused by both weight gain and fluid retention, but a hormone called relaxin also contributes. This hormone relaxes ligaments and joints to help make it easier for your baby to pass through the pelvis during birth, which can lead to mild pain and cramping in your lower stomach and groin area (also known as round ligament pain) at 20 weeks and throughout your pregnancy. But relaxin also loosens the ligaments elsewhere in your body—including those in your feet, causing them to spread. To help you feel more comfortable, you may need to go up a shoe size; also, try propping your feet up on a pillow or footrest as often as you can.

How Big Is a Pregnant Belly at 20 Weeks?

If you have a checkup at 20 weeks, your healthcare provider may check your uterus size by measuring the distance from your pubic bone to the top of the uterus, which is called the fundus.

This fundal height measurement gives your provider information about your baby’s growth. Wondering where the uterus is at 20 weeks? At around 20 weeks of pregnancy, the top of the uterus reaches the navel, and your fundal height would be about 18 to 22 centimetres.

Here's a fun fact about the fundal height measurement: Your fundal height in centimetres is roughly equal to the number of weeks you are pregnant!

If you’re 20 weeks pregnant with twins, you might notice your belly bump growing more quickly than it would with a single baby.

What Does 20 Weeks Pregnant Look Like?

To get a better idea of what your belly might look like around 20 weeks pregnant, when you’re in your fifth month of pregnancy, check out the image below.

20 Weeks Pregnant: Things to Consider

With every week, you’re closer to meeting your little one, and that means you have lots to consider now and in the coming weeks. From ultrasound scans to preparing your home for a new arrival, check out some things to consider at 20 weeks pregnant:

• Your healthcare provider may recommend an ultrasound exam around 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. This ultrasound helps your provider confirm that everything is progressing well, including the size and position of your baby in the womb at 20 weeks pregnant, and checking that the bones and organs that are visible are developing well. In addition, during this scan, your provider can get an estimate of your baby’s gestational age and weight at 20 weeks, detect your little one's movement and heart rate, see the position of the placenta, and check the amount of amniotic fluid.

• You may also be able to find out the gender of your baby at your ultrasound scan (or choose to wait and be surprised). Ask your healthcare provider for advice if you have any questions about the ultrasound at 20 weeks pregnant. By the way, if you don’t yet know the gender of your baby and you want to have a little (unscientific) fun, take our quiz to guess the gender.

• The second trimester can be a good time to travel, as your pregnancy symptoms may be a little less intense at 20 weeks pregnant, and your belly is probably not so big yet that it’s uncomfortable getting around. Still, there are a few things to keep in mind if you’re planning to get away. Don’t commit yourself to a rigid schedule or plan too many activities and be prepared to change your itinerary at the last minute based on how you’re feeling. If you’re thinking of flying at 20 weeks pregnant, check with your healthcare provider and the airline. Although many airlines allow pregnant women to fly until about 36 weeks, each airline has its own policies. Whether you travel by bus, train, car, or plane, take frequent breaks and get up and walk around, stay hydrated, eat regularly to boost your energy, and have a copy of your health records with you. It’s a good idea to have a prenatal checkup before you leave, to make sure everything is OK.

• There are many things you can do to help your partner experience more of your pregnancy along with you. For example, go together to the checkups and ultrasounds, and share the fun (and the work) of decorating the nursery. It's a great idea to go to childbirth classes together so your partner knows more about what you’ll experience during labour and delivery, and how you can both prepare for the big day. These classes offer a chance to meet other parents, too. For more information, read our article on how your partner can prepare for fatherhood.

• Start to think about what kind of colour scheme or theme you want for your baby’s nursery. Look for inspiration online and on social media and start taking screenshots or writing notes about what you like. You might like to get paint swatches if you’re planning to paint a wall or go for neutral paint colour and instead get decorations, like wall art, to make your baby’s nursery unique. Another option is to let your baby’s cute toys, books, and mobile do all the decorating.

20 Weeks Pregnant: Consult Your Healthcare Provider

If you have any questions or concerns at 20 weeks pregnant or at any time in your pregnancy, don't hesitate to contact your healthcare provider. Here are some common questions to ask at 20 weeks:

• Am I on the right track with weight gain at 20 weeks pregnant? What should I do differently if not? Note: Your healthcare provider will give you advice and support, and you can also use our Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator to help you stay on track throughout your pregnancy.

• If I'm planning a babymoon or a trip somewhere, is there any specific medical advice about the destination I’m visiting?

• What's the best way to find a great pediatrician or other healthcare providers for my baby?

• What should I expect when it comes to feeling my baby move at 20 weeks pregnant?

20 Weeks Pregnant: Your Checklist

Check out this short to-do list to help you during your pregnancy journey:

□ Celebrate—you’re halfway there! Go out on a date with your partner to mark this milestone or enjoy some “me-time” as a way to reflect on what your body has achieved so far and what’s to come in the second half of your pregnancy.

□ If you now know the gender of your baby, you may want to organize a gender reveal party. The gender reveal can also be part of your baby shower. If you’d like your shower to have a gender reveal moment in it, you could share these gender reveal game ideas with the host.

□ The ultrasound at 20 weeks might be your first peek at your baby, and this can make parenthood seem even more real. Ask for a printout of the ultrasound image so you can start your baby's first photo album. In just a few months’ time, when your baby is born, you’ll be able to fill the album with many more prints.

_{How We Wrote This Article The information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.}